On October 29, 2025, the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) published an article on the REGION.innovativ project BePart. As part of the BePart-project , two small towns in Lusatia were studied to find out how people experience and help shape structural change in their region. Although the locations appear similar at first glance, the research revealed clear differences in attitudes, dynamics and self-perceptions: while some municipalities see themselves as active agents of change, others tend to take a more observational role. The project's program line aims to better understand how social innovations can contribute to successfully shaping structural change. The focus is on the question of what conditions need to be created so that local people can develop real prospects for the future. Newcomers and returnees in particular, who return to their home region with new ideas and a desire to shape the future, are seen as important drivers of change processes. The research team plans to extend the investigations to other municipalities in the future in order to capture regional characteristics and potential even more accurately and to deepen existing knowledge. The idea of a long-term study over a period of five to ten years is also being considered in order to continuously observe and better understand developments, moods and processes of change within a municipality. In this way, the BePart project is helping to make the mental landscapes of Lusatia visible—and to show ways in which community participation and engagement can have a lasting impact on change in the region.